REUTERS — Michigan and Ohio State have dates for New Year’s Day.
The Wolverines, 8-3 after a 26-20 loss to Ohio State on Saturday, will meet a Southeastern Conference team in the Jan.1 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Michigan (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) had a chance to qualify for a Bowl Championship Series game as co-Big Ten champions with Illinois, but the loss to the Buckeyes knocked the Wolverines into a lower-tiered bowl.
“We are looking forward to a return trip to the Florida Citrus Bowl as the Big Ten representative,” Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said Monday in a news release. “This should be an outstanding game against a great SEC opponent.”
Last season, Michigan beat Auburn 31-28 in the Citrus Bowl. It also played in the Citrus Bowl in 1999, where it beat Arkansas 45-31.
Michigan will be going for its fifth-consecutive New Year’s Day bowl victory and will be playing on Jan. 1 for the sixth-straight year.
Joining Michigan in New Year’s Day play is Ohio State, which will play in the Outback Bowl.
The Buckeyes (No. 25 ESPN/USA Today, No. 23 AP) accepted an invitation to play in the game in Tampa, Fla., where Ohio State lost to South Carolina 24-7 last season. The opponent has not been determined, but it will be a team from the Southeastern Conference, athletic director Andy Geiger said.
“Our players have worked hard this year to overcome significant adversity and put themselves in position for this wonderful opportunity,” coach Jim Tressel said.
Ohio State (7-4, 5-3) beat Michigan 26-20 on Saturday to finish third in the Big Ten behind the Wolverines (8-3, 6-2).
Illinois (10-1, 7-1) won the Big Ten championship and the conference’s Bowl Championship Series berth.
Under the Big Ten’s bowl agreements, the Citrus Bowl gets to choose first, followed by the Outback and then the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
Geiger said likely opponents include Tennessee, Georgia, LSU or Auburn.
The SEC has a full schedule Saturday, including a Top 10 showdown of Tennessee at Florida. The SEC title game will be played Dec. 8, and an opponent for Ohio State probably won’t be determined until after that.
This will be the 33rd bowl appearance for Ohio State and its 12th since 1989. The Buckeyes are 14-18 in bowl games.
